- Date posted
- 2y
HOCD or not
All my brain keeps saying is how do I know if this is OCD? I know reassurance won’t help but my brain just can’t stop questioning with my HOCD anyone have any ideas on how to make it stop
All my brain keeps saying is how do I know if this is OCD? I know reassurance won’t help but my brain just can’t stop questioning with my HOCD anyone have any ideas on how to make it stop
That is the tricky thing about OCD, your ocd will make you question is it really ocd. Use this example in your ERP if you are in therapy and have an exposure on “no this isn’t ocd it’s real” and sit with the uncertainty. It is hard, just trust process and treat this just as an intrusive thought. I had the same thoughts as well and still do at times thinking is this actually ocd or not. It’s hard but I believe in you. Wish you the best in your recovery journey ❤️
I know that this can feel so hard. I always tell people that a good rule of thumb in determining if something is OCD related is to ask yourself A). does it come with a sense of urgency- like I need to KNOW right now? B). Do I feel I need certainty right now- immediacy and C). Am I feeling anxious and uncomfortable- does it feel like OCD symptoms usually make me feel? These are red flags that something probably is OCD related. Remember OCD is all about doubt- it wants to make you doubt anything and everything that is of importance to you. The idea is not to get rid of the thoughts- I know that would be nice- but everyone has similar thoughts- they bother you, likely because you have OCD- so the key here is to allow the discomfort, recognize that there will never feel like enough certainty when you have OCD and that you can still live your life. YOu can do the hard stuff.
well therapy
Also this thinking is something called meta ocd, here is a great article about it https://nocd.page.link/jR7SM1VHW9494UCB8
Anyone else with HOCD get thoughts of like "people in denial try to distract themselves" or anything along those lines when just trying to move on from the thoughts. Having a pretty bad episode this morning at least anxiety wise.
Think logically. Literally. Take me as an example. I have hocd and my obsession is “what if I’m gay”. I’ve liked girls my whole life, I can still get aroused by them and I can’t get the same instinctive reaction from a guy. So I can’t be gay. Sometimes ocd will go to something else once you prove it wrong. Maybe like. “What if I’m bi” again I can only get aroused by girls. Sometimes when I’m not thinking about it I can even get aroused when sitting next to a girl or when I’m sitting next to one or even when I’m touching one in a non sexual way. Something that never happens or has happened with a guy in my life. Don’t start panicking. Just “realise” who you are and who you’ve been.
I thankfully conquered harm ocd but I’m going through a flare up with relationship OCD, which I never got over. I know how bad reassurance seeking is but I can’t seem to quit. I ask my mom the same question countless times and it never helps. I feel bad because she tries to help and prevent me from seeking reassurance but I drive her crazy because I keep asking anyways. And if I don’t ask her, I reassure myself in my head. How are we supposed to resist these compulsions fully if we’re so scared? It feels as if I’ll never be confident enough to trust my own beliefs, even when I recover in the future with ERP
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